Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

HIROSHIMA, Japan (AP) — This weekend’s summit of the Group of Seven leading industrial nations in Hiroshima provides a rare — and possibly final — chance for survivors of the atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to push for nuclear disarmament before a global audience.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who has roots in Hiroshima, chose the city in part to highlight nuclear nonproliferation efforts, which have been shaken by Russia’s nuclear threats against Ukraine and rising aggression from nuclear-armed China and North Korea.

HIROSHIMA, Japan (AP) — Leaders of the world’s most powerful democracies warned China and North Korea against building up their nuclear arsenals, pivoting to major northeast Asian crises ahead of the arrival later Saturday of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

HIROSHIMA, Japan (AP) — Leaders of the Group of Seven wealthy democracies are joining their counterparts from other countries during their summit in Japan in an effort to expand the G7’s sway and to include voices from the so-called Global South.

From South America to South Asia, Ukraine to the South Pacific, the guests represent a carefully considered choice of countries including big emerging economies like Australia, Brazil, Indonesia and India and smaller ones like the Comoros and Cook Islands.

HIROSHIMA, Japan (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived Saturday in Japan for talks with the leaders of the world’s most powerful democracies, a personal appearance meant to galvanize global attention as the nations ratcheted up pressure on Moscow for its 15-month invasion of Ukraine.

BEIJING, May 19. /TASS/: Cooperation between China and Russia is very strong with great potential, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a briefing on Friday.

"Cooperation between China and Russia, the largest neighbors and major countries with forming markets, is very robust, it has great potential," the diplomat said, commenting on a visit of Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin to China. He noted that during the visit, the sides "will hold a profound exchange of opinions on the subject of practical cooperation and the issues of mutual interest."

HANOI, May 19 (NNN-VNA) – A string of Vietnamese banks have lowered their deposit interest rates further, in a move designed to boost lending, to shore up growth in the economy.

The country’s four biggest lenders, including state-run Agribank and partly-privatised BIDV, Vietcombank and Vietinbank, cut their interest rates between 0.2 and 0.3 percentage points, on Vietnamese dong deposits with maturities ranging from six months to one year.

JAKARTA, May 19 (NNN-ANTARA) – The outbreak of African swine fever in Indonesia, has triggered concerns in the country, over disruption of exports to neighbouring countries.

Indonesian Minister of Agriculture, Syahrul Yasin Limpo, said that, the infections were expected to cause a temporary interruption to the exports of both live pigs and freshly slaughtered pork.

HIROSHIMA, May 19 (NNN-NHK) – Japanese and U.S. top leaders, yesterday met in Hiroshima, prior to the larger gathering of Group of Seven (G7) nations, overshadowed by protests.

Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, who holds the G7’s rotating presidency and is hosting the three-day G7 summit which starts today, held talks with U.S. President, Joe Biden, last night.

TOKYO, May 19 (NNN-NHK) – Japan’s trade deficit dropped by almost 50 percent, to a one-year low of 432.4 billion yen (3.14 billion U.S. dollars) in Apr, owing in part to imports retreating for the first time in over two years, on lower prices for crude oil, the government said yesterday.

BANGKOK, May 19 (Xinhua) -- Thailand is seeing a surge in the number of flights from China, although the figures remain below pre-pandemic levels, according to Thai transport authorities.

Between October 2022 and April this year, a total of 12,805 flights were operated between Thailand and China, marking a 98 percent rise compared to the same period the previous year, as reported by the Aeronautical Radio of Thailand (AEROTHAI) lately.